


If You Can Give It (I Can Take It)

by swansandqueens



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Minor Canonical Character(s), Set in Storybrooke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 20:58:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19753696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swansandqueens/pseuds/swansandqueens
Summary: Based on the song Just Like Jesse James by Cher. Emma, a bail bonds person in Boston,  takes a much-needed vacation to Storybrooke where she meets her biggest challenge yet: the town mayor.





	If You Can Give It (I Can Take It)

Startling awake, the cacophony of Eye of the Tiger blaring loudly from her phone’s speaker jarred Emma out of her dreams. Rubbing her eyes, she pawed her nightstand in search of the phone, forgetting that it had been inconveniently discarded on her pillow the night before instead of where it usually resided. Letting out a small groan, she turned her head and reached for the device, haphazardly slapping the screen until she effectively silenced her daily alarm. 

On most days, it was a welcoming sound to energize her for a long day of chasing idiots that really believed they were capable of skipping out on their court dates. Today wasn't any other day, though, she thought to herself bitterly. While sitting up, she finally dared to peek her eyes open, the soft morning light harsh on sluggish lids. She brought her arms above her head, stretching them until she heard her joints pop, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Glancing at her phone, she realized it was nearly 10 and begrudgingly forced herself out of bed. She languidly ambled her way to the kitchen, using her hand to support herself on the wall as she switched her coffee pot on, filling the silence with a few quiet pops as the water started to heat. Soon the smell of coffee enveloped the room, making her feel a little more awake as the morning light crept in around her.

Turning to grab a match and candle out of the nearest drawer, she pulled on the fridge door to retrieve a large vanilla cupcake decorated with blue icing from the nearly empty shelf. Taking a seat at her counter and striking the match, she watched as the flame came to life. She met the flame to the candle before sucking in a deep breath that she released in a tired sigh. 

_ Another banner year,  _ she thought as she looked around, desperately trying to remember where she left her suitcase. She only had an hour before she was due to leave on her much needed vacation.

  
  
When Emma was 19, she found herself freshly out of prison with no family, friends, or anything to her name. Just a yellow Volkswagen Beetle and an envelope of cash left to her by the ex that put her there in the first place. Not one to reminisce over past mistakes, and he certainly was one, she hopped in her new car and headed straight for Boston.

She was a foster child growing up, having been left on the side of the road as a newborn by her birth parents, so she moved around a lot and never stayed in one place for very long. She had been deemed a problem child by the age of five so families tended to overlook her, causing her to live a huge part of her life in and out of group homes. However, when she was 16, she was sent to Boston to live with a woman named Ingrid. It was the first time in her life that Emma felt truly loved, that is until Ingrid turned out to be a complete psychopath and pushed her into moving traffic. Still, Boston was always the closest she had to a home. She knew her way around the large city fairly well and she knew that finding a place to stay and someone to hire her wouldn't be too difficult, even with her criminal record. It wasn't long after she arrived that she ended up at Pinocchio's Bail Bonds and acquired a job working for a man named August. He was a tall man, not much older than her, and was hesitant at first to hire an ex-con, but she charmed her way into the position by telling him there are three things she's certain of when it comes to her qualifications:

  1. She can always tell when someone is lying.
  2. She can always find whoever she's looking for.
  3. She always gets who she wants.



The third wasn't exactly true. All she wanted was a family of her own, but she was more than capable of charming her way into the bed of any woman or man she wanted, so she deemed that as good a qualification as any.

  
Now, here she is almost nine years later finally having saved enough for a break. She loved her job dearly, and she even loved August who had become her closest and first real friend over the years, but all she wanted right now was to go relax on a beach somewhere quiet with a beautiful view.   


  
A few days prior, she picked up a travel magazine and came across Storybrooke, a small fishing town on the coast of Maine. From the photos, it looked absolutely perfect. Small, but not too small. It's also the end of October, so she wouldn't have to worry about any potential tourists. She made up her mind right then that that's where she would be spending her time and nothing would get in her way.   
  


Once she had showered and packed, she loaded her suitcase into the back of her bug and started out on her four-hour road trip. The small number in her car’s radio face read 4:00 PM when she finally spied the Storybrooke welcome sign. Pulling over to the side of the road, she quickly hops out to get a photo for August, who insisted that he wanted to see all of the quaint little town. She stepped out of her car and walked up to the sign, stopping in front of it to read the small words that had been engraved on it before reaching her hand out to touch the deep marks in the wood.   
  
****

**WELCOME TO STORYBROOKE** ****  
**where happy endings come true**   
  


_ Wow, they're really capitalizing on the whole fairytale vibe, huh?  _ Emma thought as she snapped the photo and texted it to August.    
  


She had to admit, the fairytale thing was kinda cute. As Emma approached, she was greeted by a long and winding road surrounded by a beautiful forest on either side with, what is arguably, the greenest trees she's ever seen in her life. Not to mention the freshest air she thought she had ever breathed. She continued driving for about fifteen minutes down the road before the view opened up overlooking the town from atop a hill. If she didn't know any better, Emma would have thought that it had been magically dropped there at the edge of the forest. It appeared to be a tad bit smaller than the magazine had led her to believe, but she was okay with that considering right past the town was a beautiful and vast sea that she had been longing to see for years. She had been to many different places all over the United States, some beautiful and some not, but never had she seen a view as beautiful as this.   
  


As soon as she noticed the buildings coming into her line of sight, she immediately began searching for a place to get something to eat. She had been dying for a bear claw ever since she left her house. As she turned down Main Street, it wasn’t too long before she came across a small diner that doubled as a bed and breakfast. Sighing with relief, she parked her car on the side of the road and made her way towards the front door of Granny’s.    


* * *

Regina was seated at her usual booth leaning over a stack of paperwork as she did every Monday night. She always chose the table closest to the back, where she knew no one would bother her as she poured over her never-ending supply of budget cuts and various forms. She loved being the mayor of a small town. The work was usually easy and it allowed her to supply the kind of life she wanted for her and her son. She also took great pride in knowing that, even though it was no secret the citizens of Storybrooke felt little love for their mayor, everyone knew she was best suited for the job. 

Just as she signed her name on the last of her papers, the little bells above the door to Granny’s sound off, signaling that the departure or arrival of patrons. Glancing up instinctively, she noticed an unfamiliar blonde in a horrendous and garish red leather jacket traipsing through the door with an obnoxious air about her, like she owned the place. Regina resolved immediately that she despised the lurid blonde, taking in her messy locks that cascaded around her face and the rough scuffs on her boots. The unkemptness of the woman began to get under her skin as she noticed more small details, such as the rip in the hem of her jeans, and the way she didn’t carry a purse, instead settling for shoving all her belongings in her pockets making her jingle when she walked.

  
Before she had a chance to get up and inquire as to who this new stranger is, she overheard the blonde flirting with Ruby, the young waitress behind the counter. She's charismatic, Regina could tell that much. One flash of her pretty smile and she had Ruby giggling like a young school girl who's just developed her first crush. The blonde didn't stop there, though. Once Ruby walked away to get started on her order, she turned to face another pretty brunette, Aurora, who was clearly sitting with her girlfriend Mulan. That didn't deter her in the slightest bit. Instead, she had them both swooning. Regina was absolutely shocked. Instead of watching how all this would unfold once Ruby came back and saw the new love of her life flirting with her friends, Regina got up and moved over to stand by the new woman.   
  


"Excuse me?" Regina said, not entirely unkind, but not entirely nice either. The blonde spun around on her stool and flashed that offending smile directly at Regina.   
  


"May I help you?" She made direct eye contact, something most people were too afraid to do with Regina. It almost made her forget why she was here in the first place. Almost.    
  


"My name is Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke. I don't believe we've met." She held out her hand, Emma taking it in a vice-like grip.   
  


"I'm Emma Swan. This is a lovely town you have here." She dropped her fake smile and granted Regina a genuine one. Regina thought this one was much prettier.   
  


"May I speak to you for a moment in private? Over in my booth." Before Emma had a chance to answer, Regina had already spun around on her Louboutin heels and headed back to her seat, with Emma trailing behind her, a confused look on her face.   
  


As they took their seats, Regina started packing away the paperwork back into her briefcase without once addressing why she wanted to speak to Emma in the first place. When she was finished, she looked directly into Emma's eyes and considered the women in front of her for a moment before finally deciding to speak her mind.   
  


"Miss Swan, I don't know why you're here, nor do I particularly care if I'm being honest. However, if you're just here to stir up trouble among my citizens, I suggest you get in your car and go back to wherever it is you came from."   
  


Emma sat across from her, mouth slightly open in surprise. Just as she was about to defend herself, it was as if Regina had read her mind and she was cut off.   
  


"I saw you flirting with Ruby, the woman behind the bar, just before you turned to flirt with two other women who were sitting right next to you. I don't know how they do things where you're from, but I suggest you go back there. I don't take lightly to people who come here and toy around with the emotions of my citizens. This is your warning. If you're looking for trouble, Miss Swan, you will most certainly find it if you do not consider it." And with that, she got up and sashayed straight out the door with a confident smirk slowly forming across her mouth.   
  


It took Emma a solid minute to process what had just happened. Of course, the first thought that popped into her head was that she had found the love of her life, but she quickly shrugged that thought away. She'd never met a woman that challenged her before. Emma was used to girls fawning over her. She knew she was attractive with her deep emerald eyes and her sun-kissed hair. She was also in impeccable shape, thanks to her job and her rigorous five-day workout routine. What she wasn't used to, however, was meeting a woman so beautiful that she felt nervous, with butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Not to mention, said woman, calling her out on her flirting antics. Both were entirely new for Emma Swan. She did not get nervous and she was determined to prove that, even if only to herself. She was going to win over the snarky mayor if it was the last thing she did. 

With a contented sigh, Emma stood and walked back over to the counter and waited for the waitress, Ruby -  _ pretty name _ , she thought - to finish taking orders. When she finally arrived back in front of Emma, she was disappointed to realize Emma wasn't back to flirt with her some more.

"I'd like a room, please." Emma smiled softly, not wanting to further lead the girl on. There was another brunette on her mind now. Ruby, however, just shrugged it off.

"How long?"

"Just two weeks." As soon as the key was in her hand, Emma wandered off to her room and fell asleep almost instantly as dreams of the mayor began to filter in. 


End file.
